Funny thing about anniversaries...their significance often depends on the relative success of whatever person, place, or thing, is being celebrated or remembered. For a failing sports team, for instance, crossing the century mark might go by as uneventfully as that Mayan End-of-the-World Calendar that we couldn't hear enough about last year.

Happily, here at FE&S, our 65th anniversary feels more like a starting point than the finish line. We marked 2012 by earning eight publishing excellence awards (visit www.zoombagroup.com to learn more) under the guidance of our talented Editor-in-Chief, Joe Carbonara, and his dedicated team. We launched a sister magazine called restaurant development + design (www.rddmag.com), targeting a very niche and underserved audience that focuses primarily on the build-outs and remodeling work that drives the restaurant segment. We moved forward in our effort to embrace the technological changes that will continue to alter the way you consume the fresh, pertinent, original content that we consistently deliver. One of our most cherished awards in 2012 was the Gold Tabbie (read: first place!) for Best Use of Social Media. This category included more than 500 entrants, both national and international, from a wide range of industries.

You are all invited to join us at the NAFEM show on Thursday, February 7th at booth #1006 for a champagne and cupcake celebration of our 65th Anniversary. And, save the date for the 2013 Dealer of the Year and Industry Awards Gala at The Four Seasons-Chicago on May 18th. This year's premier all industry award's event, coupled as it is with our 65th anniversary celebration, should prove to be extraordinarily memorable. Check out the pictures from 2012 at www.fesmag.com.